David Harbour Was Worried Stranger Things Would Jump The Shark

Stranger Things Season 3 is about to get underway, and fans around the world are anxiously anticipating what's next for the Hawkins kids.


Meanwhile, while we're all twiddling our thumbs and attempting to while away the hours and days up until the newest string of episodes hit Netflix, the cast, like David Harbour (Hopper) have been working to bring us the ideal project they possibly can even if it means doing "different" and "risky" things.


In an interview with Mashable, Harbour talked on the upcoming season and why nervous he was while creating the third season and getting it out to fans, thinking it would "jump the shark" somehow, so to speak.


"It's hard with a TV show, especially a successful one, because you don't wish to lose the fact that people love what you do, yet you also don't hope to have to play the same beats that you have played every season so that people get that same feeling," he told Mashable.


He went on to speak on his role as Hawkins' Chief of Police and why he had gone about finding new ways to portray the character that wouldn't leave the role relegated to a trope-tactic representation of a character ripe for mockery.


"Hopper is this rugged, masculine individualist in the opening season," he mentioned. Right now, [in Season 3] he's softening, to the point that he's getting bigger, just consuming food chips and salsa, and dealing with his daughter. He's in full-on dad mode. Although the hard cop side is one thing that I've really loved about him, and I was worried, like, 'Oh no, what are people gonna think?'"


It's a valid concern, especially as Harbour filmed plenty of "comedic" scenes for this season where he teams up once again with Joyce to take care of company – a mustache, dumb clothes, and an air of devil-may-care suspense not unlike those seen in fun '80s movies and flicks.


"All of that is a lot for crowds to accept," he mentioned. "So the full time we were shooting, I would have these days where I was like, 'I don't know, man. We might've jumped the shark. I could be Fonzie, jumping over with those water skis now He's referring to an infamous moment in classic sitcom Happy Days, where recurring character Fonzie literally jumps over a shark while on water skis. Several view this moment as a negative turning point for the series, which once enjoyed a massive quantity of success on TV.


We can't wait to be able to see how things play out in the new season. Luckily, there isn't much time left to wait. Stranger Things Season 3 comes to Netflix (fireworks and all) on July 4.